DEC Officer Report

Application No.: 20/01171/CON Applicant: Mr Steven Ward Proposal: Registered Building Consent for the creation of first floor shower room (retrospective) - RB 23 Site Address: Holly Lodge Bishopscourt Kirk Michael Isle Of Man IM6 2EZ Technical Officer: Mr Thomas Sinden Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 24.11.2020 _________________________________________________________________

Conditions and Notes for Approval

C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason.

The proposal meets the tests of Section 16 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999, as well as Strategic Policy 4 and Environment Policies 32 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, as the character of the Registered Building is being protected and preserved. It is therefore judged to be acceptable.

Plans/Drawings/Information; This decision relates to the drawings and supporting information received on 16th October 2020. _______________________________________________________________

Interested Person Status

Additional Persons

None _____________________________________________________________________________

Officer’s Report

1.0 THE SITE - 1.1 The site is Holly Lodge, Registered Building 23, which lies on the western side of the A3 main road to the south of Bishopscourt. Immediately to the North of the site is Fox Cottage (Registered Building 22), a small hipped roofed property with central dominant chimney. Holly Lodge is a stone building with central tower feature within the slated pitched roof, projecting front gable with prominent chimney, church-style windows on the ground floor with sandstone surrounds, and two pitched roofed dormers in the front pitch. Both Holly Lodge and Fox

Cottage sit lower than the road, and have a group value in their historic functional relationship with Bishopscourt (Registered Building number 1).

2.0 THE PROPOSAL - 2.1 The application, retrospective, is to convert an existing first floor dressing room in to a WC and shower room. No external alterations are included within the works.

3.0 PLANNING POLICY - 3.1 TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1999 S16 Registered buildings: supplementary provisions

(3) In considering —

• (b) whether to grant registered building consent for any works, the relevant Department shall have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses.

3.2 National policy: THE ISLE OF MAN STRATEGIC PLAN 2016 Strategic Policy 4: Proposals for development must: (a) Protect or enhance the fabric and setting of Ancient Monuments, Registered Buildings(1), Conservation Areas(2), buildings and structures within National Heritage Areas and sites of archaeological interest;

Environment Policy 32: Extensions or alterations to a Registered Building which would affect detrimentally its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest will not be permitted.

Environment Policy 34: In the maintenance, alteration or extension of pre-1920 buildings, the use of traditional materials will be preferred.

3.3 Planning Policy Statements: 1/01 Policy and Guidance Notes for the Conservation of the Historic Environment of the Isle of Man

POLICY RB/3 General criteria applied in considering registered building applications The issues that are generally relevant to the consideration of all registered building applications are:-

• o The importance of the building, its intrinsic architectural and historic interest and rarity, relative to the Island as a whole and within the local context;
• o The particular physical features of the building (which may include its design, plan, materials
• or location) which justify its inclusion in the register; descriptions annexed to the entry in the register may draw attention to features of particular interest or value, but they are not exhaustive and other features of importance, (e.g. Interiors, murals, hidden fireplaces) may come to light after the building's entry in the register;
• o The building's setting and its contribution to the local scene, which may be very important, e.g. Where it forms an element in a group, park, garden or other townscape or landscape, or where it shares particular architectural forms or details with other buildings nearby (including
• other registered buildings).

4.0 PLANNING HISTORY - 4.1 A number of alterations and extensions have been made on the property under applications 84/00920/B, 91/00765/B, 96/00973/B, 12/01014/GB and 12/01015/CON. However, none of these applications is judged to be relevant to the current application.

- 5.0 REPRESENTATIONS

5.1 The Department of Infrastructure Highways Division have stated that there is no highways interest in the application (9.11.2020). - 5.2 Michael Commissioners have stated that they have no objections to the application (10.11.2020).

6.0 ASSESSMENT - 6.1 The issue for the application is the preservation of the Registered Building, its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest. - 6.2 The registration documents for the building do not include any specific reason for registration, stating 'by reason of its architectural or historic interest.' It is judged that the principal reasons for registration are the building's interesting architectural detailing (in particular the front gable chimney and sandstone window surrounds), together with the group value of Holly Lodge, Fox Cottage and Bishopscourt. - 6.3 Environment Policy 34 states a preference for the use of traditional materials in pre-1920s buildings. However, given the nature of the works within this application, it is not feasible for these works to comply with this. - 6.4 The information supplied with the application, together with the photographs on the Registered Building file, demonstrates that the area that is subject to the works retained no historic fabric. Further to this, the plan form is not changing as a result of the works other than the removal of a bedroom access door. With these matters in mind, it is judged that none of the building's elements of architectural or historic interest are being altered by the works, and are therefore being preserved. It is therefore judged that the application is acceptable.

7.0 CONCLUSION - 7.1 It is judged that the proposal meets the tests of Section 16 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1999, as well as Strategic Policy 4 and Environment Policy 32 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, as the character of the Registered Building is being protected and preserved. It is therefore recommended that the application be approved.

8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS - 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019, the following persons are automatically interested persons:

• (a) the applicant (including an agent acting on their behalf);
• (b) any Government Department that has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (c) the Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure;
• (d) Manx National Heritage where it has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (e) Manx Utilities where it has made written representations that the Department considers material;
• (f) the local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated; and
• (g) a local authority adjoining the authority referred to in paragraph (f) where that adjoining authority has made written representations that the Department considers material.

8.2 The decision maker must determine:

• o whether any other comments from Government Departments (other than the Department of Infrastructure Highway Services Division) are material; and
• o whether there are other persons to those listed above who should be given Interested Person Status

I can confirm that this decision has been made by a Principal Planner in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.

Decision Made : Permitted Date: 25.11.2020 Determining officer

Signed : S CORLETT Sarah Corlett Principal Planner

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